3 Mets players who will not win our trust in 2022

Mets catcher James McCann won’t look much better this season

James McCann was not the same hitter with the Mets as he was during his two seasons with the Chicago White Sox. Compared to even his weaker Detroit Tigers days, last year was pretty rough.

The Mets signed McCann to a four-year contract prior to the 2021 season. The stopgap until prospect Francisco Alvarez is ready for big league baseball, McCann’s deal—while still rather modest in dollars—could end up being a burden on the payroll sooner than anyone could have hoped.

McCann has a long way to go to get back to the .276/.334/.474 hitter he was during his days with the White Sox. When we consider outliers in a player’s career, those two years look like the high of what he can do. His 2021 Mets performance was closer to his own career averages pre-Chicago.

A few big hits and maybe some more power could help restore some faith in McCann. More likely, he can get a few fans off his back by doing the little things well. This starts and ends with his defense.

The defensive performance of a catcher can get overlooked more than any other position. Things like framing and game-calling aren’t always seen. They can be subjective, too.

But unless McCann is an elite defender and comes away with a Gold Glove in 2022, I just don’t see him regaining any of the trust fans had in him pre-2021.

Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco will look more cooked than we hoped

Even if we give Carlos Carrasco the benefit of a doubt and write off his first year with the Mets, there’s enough reason to believe he’s closer to cooked than not. Carrasco made 12 starts for the team in 2021, going 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA. It was not what we signed up for.

From 2014-2020, Carrasco was a consistent pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Late to bloom, he was a tremendous innings eater for a time period when Cleveland was a contender in the American League. His health took a toll on him in 2019 when he had his first rough season since becoming a mainstay in the club’s rotation.

Health, in a far different way, hampered Carrasco’s success in 2021. He missed the first few months of the year. When he did finally step on the mound in orange and blue, the team was ready to give up their spot atop the National League East. He was partially to blame for this. So were the other 25 men he shared the roster with.

I expect better things from Carrasco this year, but nothing too excellent. He pitches this year at age 35. Not every pitcher ages like wine. Some are more like milk.

Carrasco has a ton to prove this year. Beginning with his health, it’s an uphill battle I’m not sure he can reach. If he is a competent number five starter, it’s a victory.